“Yes. What do you want?” “Well God, I need ____!” How do you fill in the blank? Over the years I have asked God for a lot of things… help, wisdom, guidance, and peace. I have prayed & believed John 14:14 “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Yes, this is a Promise of Jesus. Yes, Jesus does keep His Promises. But…

So much of what I have prayed for, and others have prayed for me, and my loved ones have been about my personal needs, jobs, comforts & health. This is great and we should lift our needs to Him. But we need to recognize the 2 verses before verse 14. In verse 12, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” So, now we get the context or basis for the request, doing the work of Jesus. It’s all about Him.

Then in verse 13 Jesus clarifies the “why” for the request and the “why” for the purpose of the work, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” BAM! Everything Jesus did and what we are called to do is to bring Glory to the Father.

The first 3 of the Ten Commandments are about God’s Glory. Exodus 20:3-7

• “You shall have no other gods before me.
• “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
•  “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were told to bow down & worship an image they refused. God’s Glory was more important to them than what might happen to them. “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:1-18

The part of the verse that stands out to me was their No-Matter-What resolve. “But even if He does not (save them), we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  They trusted God’s Wisdom… not their own.

God’s Glory is so important that it is referred to in 42 of the 66 books of the Bible. It’s a very big deal. “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 1:25

Several years ago, while laying in the ER with a broken leg, Pastor Randy ended his prayer over me with, “… that people would see Jesus through Robert’s experience.” What happened after that was nothing less than astonishing. That prayer changed everything. It gave purpose to the pain. The focus shifted from me to Him. Try it. You will be Blessed.